Swim was hard as I wrestled with about half of the 85 other men in my wave like eels in a bucket for most of the 1900 m.

Bike was okay. Hilly and windy out but a bit of sightseeing on the way in. Mostly a regular highway of occasional white knuckling quality with lots of bike drafting officials out and about but saw no penalties given. There was space to ride and respectful athletes of all ability levels.

The mid day sun is a heat lamp at 10 degrees North of the equator. Thankfully the old city streets of the walled city of Cartagena have shady sections which were a huge relief for the run course . But the race organisation was super with lots of water stops with sponges and ice as well as the usual drinks.

I was happy to finish with a decent placing but questioning whether these hot country races are for me. The South Americans seem unphased by the heat.

Liz had a great run and good swim (3rd in her AG!) but didn’t enjoy the bike so much owing to some cramping issues. (She did loosely try to say it was the new electrolytes I did for her !).

Fantastic place for a holiday. Colombians are lovely people and the food is off the chain amazing! Lots of flights from the US and quite unlike some other less appealing parts of Latin America of which I have visited quite a few.

My newspaper clipping from the Royal Gazette after the 1996 ITU World Cup Bermuda

The year was 1994 and I was on Dr Colin Couper’s couch whilst he determined how to reconstruct my knee so that I could continue triathlon.

Colin started to reminisce on the 1987 and 1988 international triathlons with prize purses of $100,000 which at the time, along with the Gold Coast Triathlon, was the biggest prize purse in triathlon. He then asked me whether I thought I could get an international triathlon back to Bermuda.

1987 -1988 was a big logistical exercise with courses that took in the whole of the middle section of the island for the 40km bike but by 1994 under the influence of ITU President Les MacDonald the bike course for triathlon had become draft legal with 8 x 5km loops the norm. That meant that there would be far less disruption if we could find a suitable bike course.

Colin soon got government on board , I designed a 5km bike course around the Southampton Princess, which had agreed to be the race hotel, got government,Ace, Bermuda Commercial Bank and an anonymous donor to put up the $200,000 needed to put on the race and Bermuda was part of the top level ITU World Cup circuit attracting the world’s best triathletes. With the fantastic support of a group of local triathletes such as Steve Petty and Tab Froud the event soon came together and Dave McGillivray, the Boston Marathon race director , was brought in to work with local coordinator Suthy Madeiros.

The event was a huge success but the logistics of holding it in Southampton were far more complicated than holding it in Hamilton and so, on the advise of Dave MacGillvray, the race was moved to Hamilton in 1996 and 1997. After feedback from the professionals racing in 1996 I then modified the bike course to include Corkscrew Hill, which proved a great success and the Hill, as it came to be known amongst the 1997 professional triathletes, will again feature in the course announced this week for the 2018 Bermuda World Cup.

It was during these World Cups in the early 1990’s that the young Flora Duffy got her inspiration to one day emulate the professionals she saw racing but who would have thought in 1997 that just over 20 years later the then 10 year old would be returning to Bermuda as two time ITU World Series winner.

Hamilton, Bermuda (November 21st, 2017) – The global triathlon spotlight will shine on Bermuda in April when it hosts the ITU World Triathlon Bermuda, showcasing the island and proudly supporting two-time reigning World Champion, Bermudian Flora Duffy.

The Local Organising Committee of the international sporting spectacle, revealed the race courses today for both the Elite and Age Group races within the event. Both races will take place on Saturday April 28th during the Bermuda Triathlon Festival Weekend (Thursday April 26th to Sunday April 29th).

Both courses start and end in Hamilton. Competitors will first swim in the waters of Hamilton Harbour, then bike through city streets and finish with the run along colourful Front Street. The central location offers great viewing for spectators, and several significant technical challenges for athletes.

One of the highlights of the bike courses will be hundreds of athletes pumping their way up Corkscrew Hill in a gruelling steep effort.

Front Street will be the focus of all racing. Athletes will line up for a spectacular swim start at Number 1 car park, where free public grandstands and VIP seating will be positioned for a great viewing advantage. The Elite race will transition onto bikes and the run right in front of spectators on Front Street.

It is anticipated that hundreds of people will participate in the Age Group event, including locals doing a triathlon for the first time. Organisers welcome sportspeople of other disciplines to register and train for the April event, which does not require a qualifying time. Not often can you do a first triathlon in a World Series event right at home!
Due to the large numbers of participants, the transition area to start the bike and run for the Age Group course is at City Hall car park.

Flora Duffy was on hand today as she was honoured at a special ceremony at Warwick Academy when the school’s pool was named after her in recognition of her athletic achievements, as an ambassador for Bermuda and as a role model for Bermuda’s youth. As well as a host of dignitaries, her parents Maria and Charlie and her two brothers Joel, who represented Bermuda at football and Campbell, an accomplished sailor, were present at the ceremony.

Flora attended Warwick Academy before moving to Kelly College in the UK which had a special triathlon programme run by former world class triathlete Robin Brew. As a Warwick Academy student Flora spent many hours in the pool as she established herself from an early age as one of the island’s leading swimmers. As a junior Flora represented Bermuda at swimming with distinction before focusing 100% on triathlon.

After another spectacular season in which she defended her WTS Series crown, her WTS World Championship and her Xterra World Championships title, Flora capped it off by taking home the $60,000 first place purse by winning the Island House Triathlon in the Bahamas. Flora’s long season has by her own admission taken both a physical and emotional toll and after consulting her coaching and management team this week she wisely decided to sit out what would have been her first foray into Ironman 70.3 in Thailand.

After a short stay in Bermuda Flora heads to Stellenbosch, South Africa, which along with Boulder have become second homes to Flora. Flora will then take a well earned rest and finish preparations for her wedding to fiance Dan Hugo, himself a former leading professional XTerra triathlete who finished 8th at the 2008 Xterra World Championships and was twice South African XTerra Champion as well as winning a number of leading XTerra races over his career.

2017 will certainly be a year to remember for Flora, who also turned 30 this year !

HERE IS THE DEAL : As a Bermuda resident, bring an overseas participant to ITU World Triathlon Bermuda 2018 and your own race entry will be FREE (a $110 saving for the Sprint distance race entry and a $140 saving for the Olympic distance race entry)

Due to the interest created and the wish for as many people as possible to enjoy WTS Bermuda in 2018, the organisers have extended the deadline for this special deal to the end of the year. This is to allow more time for you to speak to friends and family and organise their travel to Bermuda next April. This is an exciting opportunity for friends and family overseas to experience racing here on largely the same course as the elites, and of course to watch the top triathletes in the world racing in Bermuda as well.

Full details are on the event website (www.tribermuda.com) so take a look at what is coming.

HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE:
(i) Get the overseas participant to enter by going to http://www.tribermuda.com
(ii) Make sure the overseas entrant completes the box provided for your name and Email
(iii) The race organisers will then EMail you a voucher number which you can then use at http://www.tribermuda.com to sign yourself up for free.
Any queries, please send an email to info@tribermuda.com.